


The Female of the Species

by SailorMiaka



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, F/M, Gabriel Agreste's A+ Parenting, Kwami Swap, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24247912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorMiaka/pseuds/SailorMiaka
Summary: Years in the future, Gabriel Agreste makes a small mistake.  Later that night, he receives a visitor and learns first hand that the Female of the Species is more deadly than the male.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 7
Kudos: 231





	The Female of the Species

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my Beta 1redneckgoddess!

In the end, their reveal was anticlimactic. She'd fallen in love with him as Chat, only for him to fall in love with her as Marinette. They dated throughout the remainder of their teen years, got engaged at 21, and married at 23. At Adrien's 25th birthday, Marinette gave him a tiny box with a rattle telling him he would be Father. A short time later, Emelie Madeliene Agreste, called Emma, made her way into the world.

Hawkmoth, whose activity had lessened since their marriage, dwindled to nothing after Marinette announced her pregnancy.

It was odd and Tikki worried endlessly about it.

Marinette, however, took each day as it came. Ladybug and Chat Noir still patrolled Paris, their allies made the occasional appearance but no akuma.

They were discussing this very thing after the party Gabriel had hosted for Emma's 1st birthday. The dour designer was absolutely enthralled with the toddler and was already trying to get Marinette to allow her to model. (“Gabriel, you don’t even have a toddler line.” “I can by next week if you say yes.”) Emma sat upon her grandpere’s knee as her mama and papa collapsed on the couch in exhausted relief. Tom laughed as he and Sabine joined them after seeing to the party's extravagant cake.

“Don’t tell me you kids are tired?” he said with a chuckle.

“Papa,” Marinette said with a groan. “There were so many kids.”

“I think you might need to look out for young Sébastien, though,” Sabine said. “He seemed quite enthralled with Emma.

“What?” All three men in the room were suddenly alert.

“She’s just a baby!” Adrien sputtered out.

“And besides, she’s not interested in some 2-year-old ruffian.”  
Gabriel sniffed as if the air was suddenly foul.

Emma laughed, a bright cheery sound that turned into a yawn.

Marinette rolled her eyes as she pulled herself from the couch and reached for her daughter. “Sébastien Bourgeois is hardly a ruffian but I certainly don’t want Chloe as an in-law. It's time for this mademoiselle’s nap.”

Gabriel surrendered the child with a wistful smile and watched as Marinette disappeared upstairs to the rooms they occupied when they stayed at the mansion. He walked to the large windows to admire Emelie's garden, half listening to the developing conversation behind him and half mentally telling his still comatose wife about their granddaughter.

_When she’s a little older, I can start again. You should meet her, Emelie._

“…and now you understand why I turned into Were-dad.”

Gabriel turned sharply at the mention of the former akuma's name. He’d forgotten he'd akumatised Tom into Were-dad. Seeing the huge man put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder as the two watched Marinette and Emma, caused a small trickle of possession to go down his spine that just as quickly dissipated. Adrien let out a strangled laugh and muttered something Gabriel didn’t quite catch.

“Paternal protection is by no means something to disregard,” Gabriel said softly, eyeing his son.

“Nor maternal,” Sabine said as Marinette rejoined them. “Some of the strongest akumas were those that had a conflict with family.”

“I was blessed that Adrien never was akumatised,” Gabriel said carefully, knowing if he did not add in the lack of comment would be suspect. “But Marinette…Princess Justice was it not?”

“You’re thinking of Rose, Father. Princess Fragrance,” Adrien said blandly, throwing an arm over Marinette’s shoulder.

“That whole class was akumatised by the end there weren’t they?” Tom chuckled

Gabriel let the conversation continue, choosing not to contribute as he ruminated. He was certain he had akumatized Marinette. Something to do with that horrible girl, Lila Rossi. He noticed Marinette staring at him more than once with an odd gleam in her eye, like a predator stalking its prey. Gabriel sensed the frustration of his tiny granddaughter as she awoke, brushing off protests as he went to her room. He picked her up lovingly, almost blinded by the love and trust this tiny child had for him and returned to the rest. Marinette almost snatched Emma from him and immediately gave her apologies, saying the younger Agrestes could not stay for dinner. Marinette had an emergency consult that just could not be postponed. This Gabriel understood. Fashion did not wait. Tom and Sabine followed and he was once again left to his thoughts.

___Exactly why had Marinette been staring so intently?_ _ _

He brushed the thought away and headed towards his atelier. He had a new line to finish. Emma would be modeling the new Agreste Toddler couture line. Her parents just didn’t know it yet.

************

Later that night, Marinette slipped from the bed she shared with Adrien. Used to his wife waking to check on the baby, Adrien mumbled before turning over, but did not wake. She quickly unfastened her earrings, laying them next to Tikki, who slept on. Marinette leaned over Adrien’s sleeping form, carefully lifted her hand and deftly slid the cat miraculous from his finger before quickly leaving the room. Plagg floated behind her, waiting till they were alone to speak.

“Tikki isn’t going to like this,” he said.

“I don’t really care.” Marinette said. “I'll make it up to her.”

Plagg hugged Marinette’s cheek.

“I almost always prefer my female holders,” he said slyly. “You’re much more chaotic then the males.”

Marinette’s smile turned feral as she placed the ring on the middle finger of her left hand, watching it resize and clink softly as it hit her wedding ring.

“Plagg, Claws out!”

***************

Gabriel awoke suddenly.

His skin was prickling as if he were being watched. The curtain blew in the lazy night breeze….

 _Wait_.

He didn’t have the window opened.

He got out of bed, grabbed his glasses and went to his dresser, searching quietly but quickly for Nooroo's brooch.

“Looking for this?” an acid tinged voice called out.

He turned to see perched on the windowsill a young woman in a black leather catsuit, a long black braid running down her back. His memory tingled but he couldn’t quite place her. She held up a small purple brooch.

“I debated just taking it and running. That was the original plan. But cats love playing with _moths_ …”

His blood ran cold. After all this time, he’d been found out. His features remained stoic; she had no concrete proof…

“I’ve been to see Nathalie tonight. She pretended not to know what I wanted, but gave it up easily enough when I told her I had been to see you already.” She practically purred.

Gabriel could see his phone flashing from the night stand, indicating several unread messages.

“I told my partner once that we should look at you, but he talked me out of it. You were very careful. Very clever. Why did you stop? You hadn’t succeeded.”

“Why do you care? You’ve clearly retrieved what you came for,” he spat out.

“You know…cats…curiosity,” she said with a flippant lilt.

“I believe there was a second part included in that,” he replied drolly.

“Please…just give me a reason to engage. _Please_."

Her claws glittered as she wound her braid around her hand.

“My son,” he said. “Adrien started a family; I couldn’t bear to have his wife or daughter in danger.”

The woman went silent. _Lady Noire_ , his brain finally supplied.

"I didn’t expect that, seeing as you put your son in danger constantly.”

“No akuma was ever allowed to directly harm Adrien. Even Gorizilla wasn’t supposed to harm him and I had a plan on standby if Ladybug hadn’t shown up.”

“I don’t believe that for a second. Constant danger, your down right horrific parenting,” she spat “You’ve never cared about anyone in your family, I can see that now.”

“EVERYTHING I’VE DONE HAS BEEN FOR MY FAMILY!” he roared out.

The two stared silent, at an impasse.

“Will you…. give me the black cat miraculous, Lady Noire?” Gabriel asked in a desperate voice. “Please….my wife isn’t missing, she’s in a coma. If I get the cat and the ladybug miraculous, I can make a wish to have her restored so she can meet her granddaughter!”

Lady Noire stiffened. “You know where your wife is? That’s what this has always been about? Are you stupid? The wish takes something equal to that being asked for!”

“I’m willing to pay the price, for Adrien and Emma to have Emelie back.”

“Did it occur to you that the wish might cost you Emma? Then what? You don’t get to decide what it takes! It’s Magic and Magic always comes with a price!”

Gabriel was stunned. He had never truly comprehended possible consequences…. a life without little Emma?

 _Unacceptable_.

“I’m taking this.” Lady Noire said with a growl as she put the butterfly brooch in a belt pocket. “It’s going back where it belongs. I urge you to do the right thing.”

She turned to leave.

“Wait,” he said “How did you find me?”

Quick as a blink, she had him up against the wall, one hand on his throat, the other burning with cataclysm. She smiled, fangs catching the light.

“Princess Justice never made it to an akumatised form. Only she knew her akumatised name. And of course, so did Hawkmoth.”

Gabriel stared in disbelief and sank to his knees as the female cat darted out the window, curtains disintegrating behind her.

******************

Plagg had been right. Tikki was waiting for them when they got home and she was not pleased.

“That was reckless Marinette. And selfish and…oooh!”

Tikki watched as Marinette opened the miracle box, once again disguised as a record player, and placed the brooch and pin back in its confines before putting her earrings back on.

“Leave her be, Sugarcube,” Plagg said quietly. “Go to bed Pigtails, and put the ring back on the boy.”

Marinette smiled, rolled her eyes good naturedly and disappeared into their bedroom. It was only moments before there were telltale signs that the couple within were decidedly NOT sleeping.

“I can’t believe you let her do that, Plagg.”

“I should have let her do it sooner. Look at the outcome!”

“She could have been hurt.”

“He never even threatened her. The real fall out will be tomorrow when she tells Adrien.”

“I still think she should have told him before and they should have gone together. “

“Tonight, tonight needed ruthlessness Tikki,” Plagg said with a seriousness he almost never indulged in. “Marinette is far more ruthless than Adrien. She always has been.”

Tikki stared at her other half in disbelief.

“What makes you say that? Marinette is nothing but kind and loving…”

Plagg snuggled up to Tikki, who only sputtered a moment before relaxing into Plagg's embrace

“And of the two of us, who is more powerful? And be honest, who holds a grudge longer?”

“You said you loved that about me,” Tikki objected, with a pout.

“Of course, I do,” Plagg said, nuzzling her neck and purring. “You and Marinette aren’t that much different, because at the end of the day, you both share one fundamental thing. Something I can’t compete with.”

Tikki giggled “Oh? And what’s that?”

“You’re female. The female of the species is always deadlier than the male.”

_______********_ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________So it comes that Man, the coward, when he gathers to confer_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________With his fellow-braves in council, dare not leave a place for her  
Where, at war with Life and Conscience, he uplifts his erring hands  
To some God of Abstract Justice – which no woman understands_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______And Man knows it! Knows, moreover, that the Woman that God gave him  
Must command but may not govern—shall enthrall but not enslave him.  
And She knows, because _**She** _warns him, and Her instincts never fail._____  
That the Female of Her Species is more deadly than the Male. – Rudyard Kipling___ _


End file.
